Laws that are uncontroversial in one year can become very controversial in another. Is it murder to kill your slave? Is it murder to kill the man breaking into your home at 3AM? Is it murder for the government to kill the man convicted of murder?

I think it's a good idea for all laws to have sunsets, though some could be longer than others.

In the US, I see federal laws renewed every few years with little public debate, sometimes released to the legislature with little opportunity for them to debate, let alone read and verify changes.

> The trouble is that perhaps our societies are now so polarised we’d never be able to agree to pass uncontroversial legislation without partisan horse trading.

Again, some things may be more controversial than they appear.

When things are uncontroversial, I think there's usually broad agreement to pass it without horse trading. More often, I see something (very) controversial is packaged with the uncontroversial, and the reporting of the situation is biased.